Introducing the Eastern Sierra Puppy Pack (and Taquito)
It has been a while since I could take a moment to post any of my big adventures for a couple of beautiful reasons:
I have been so busy with some incredible work projects.
I am up to my elbows in PUPPIES!!
This blog is intended to share my outdoor adventures in the most honest and vulnerable way possible, but this post is an exception!
On April 4th, my sweet 14-year-old senior dog crossed the rainbow bridge due to end-stage heart failure. I was devastated beyond words, but her doctors and I refused to let her suffer, and she crossed into heaven with dignity.
Meet Taquito
I have wanted a puppy for ages, and I figured this would be an excellent way to help heal the giant hole in my heart and give Moo a companion. I wanted Moo to be a considerable part of this journey since I thought she would be exceptional at training a tiny puppy, and she is! Moo is SO good.
Please give a huge warm welcome to the newest member of my pack, Taquito!
He was born March 3rd to a sweet momma dog who was rescued from a terrible RV hoarding situation in downtown LA. If you want to read further about this incredible story, I have included the news links.
Taquito is SO funny, sweet, fully crate trained, partially potty trained, and a true gem. He is not yet fully vaccinated, so he stays in the house and the yard, but I cannot wait to introduce him to the backcountry! He is in for a wild ride.
I spent the first week of sleepless nights crate training him and slowly introducing him to my heart and home! I cannot wait to see him grow into a confident, fun, playful, and loyal adult pup! Moo and I are very grateful!
A few days later, I was granted a beautiful and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to foster a pregnant Momma dog from Whitmore, Mono County Animal Shelter in Mammoth Lakes, Ca.
I have been looking to foster out of Mammoth for ages; however, they did not have a foster program, so I kept asking, waiting and praying…. and it happened. I am the first foster out of this shelter, and they are going to start a pilot foster program!
Introducing Blackie AKA Momma Dog
Blackie (I call her Momma) is a 7-ish-year-old lab/border collie mix rescued from a homeless encampment in Bakersfield. Mono County Animal Control took her and four other adult, unfixed dogs and did not realize she was pregnant until a couple of weeks later when she started to grow rather large. She spent six weeks at Whitmore shelter (dogs are pregnant for an average of 8 weeks). She became highly agitated and uncomfortable, rightfully so as she was VERY pregnant. On May 5th, I cleared out the inside of my entire truck, cleared out a spare bedroom in my home, and drove down to the shelter to pick her up. SHE WAS HUGE!
I thought she was going to deliver her babies any day! My goal was to get her comfortable in my home, get her into a routine and get her to trust me, so I could help her with the birth and the puppy weaning and raising.
When she entered my home, it was crystal clear she has never been in a house before. She was a classic junkyard dumpster diving dog, and I knew I had my work cut out for me; I may or may not have to paint a few doors and walls after this process!
I kept at it because she is incredibly sweet and all she wanted to do was go on walks, hang out with me and cuddle! She has SO much potential to be an incredible family dog, and therefore I am doing everything to help her along this journey. I want her actually to be a dog. I take her on car rides, long walks in the forest and try to socialize with people as much as I can. She has been through so much in her life, and she deserves the absolute very best!
She is still pumped full of hormones, so it is challenging to decipher who she REALLY is, as I always figure it could be the hormones talking when she has her aggressive outbursts. She is always leashed and harnessed, and I am always in complete control of her. I am beyond lucky she trusts me!
Puppy Births
On May 10th, she gave birth to 10 beautiful puppies. I was her personal doula throughout the entire labor and birthing process. She nested in my spare room closet; I played her music and fed her water and treats in between puppy births.
I have delivered lots of human babies before, but this process was beyond incredible. I still get tears in my eyes just thinking about it! Her first puppy was born at 9:35 am on Tuesday. I had to immediately cancel all of my work calls for the day because it was go-time! I sent out emails to all of my clients, explaining that my foster momma dog was currently birthing puppies, and I will be out of the office until further notice! Her last puppy was born just before 4 pm.
As each puppy was born, I dried, stimulated, weighed, and made sure they could nurse from Momma dog. It was crystal clear this was not Momma dog’s first litter as she was a professional. She licked and ate each sack before each puppy was fully delivered. I would guess she has had multiple litters, but I guarantee this is her last litter. The day she goes in for her spay surgery, I will raise a glass to her, as she deserves to live out the rest of her life as a dog and NOT a puppy machine!
Crossing the rainbow bridge
This brave momma dog is an overachiever!
She had ten puppies! That is a very big litter! Unfortunately, #7, aka Bodie passed away on May 11th at approximately 30 hours old. The litter ranged from 12-16 ounces, and he was born, weighing in at 9 ounces. He struggled to latch and feed, and Momma was barely paying attention to him. I would walk into the room, and he was always in the corner by himself. I attempted to bottle feed him and place him on a heating pad, but he had no suck reflex, so I began to force-feed him with a dropper. I was in constant contact with Mono Country Animal Control and two veterinarians in Mammoth. I did everything I possibly could for this little guy before rushing him into Bishop vet. My vet who takes care of my puppies was working that day, and I was in earlier that afternoon for Taquito’s second round of vaccines, so I knew in my heart that this newborn puppy was in the best hands. I trust my vet with every fiber in my body, so I said a prayer, dropped him off, and went home. Since he was a county dog and I am just a foster, I have no say in vet care, and therefore, the vet and Mono County Animal Control decided to send him over the rainbow bridge. On physical examination, he had a cleft palate and a murmur and therefore was underdeveloped. It was an incredibly difficult process to work through, especially because I just sent my senior dog over the rainbow bridge less than a month ago. Rest in Peace, sweet little Bodie! I hope you are drinking alllllll the warm milk in puppy heaven!
Introducing the Eastern Sierra Pack
Momma has great genes because these puppies are GORGEOUS. We believe that dad is the male Siberian Husky who was taken into Mono County with her from the homeless encampment in Bakersfield! I met him a couple of weeks ago at the shelter, and he is one handsome boy, hence why these puppies are absolutely stunning! There are four females and five males and four black and white puppies and four brown and white puppies, all with tuxedo husky markings and SOCKS…they have built-in socks! Of course, they are all named after infamous Eastern Sierra landmarks since my whole heart belongs in these mountains, and I am beyond fortunate to call this beautiful place home!
Tyndall (female, brown)
Whitmore aka “whittie” (female, black)
Benton (male, black)
Banner (male, brown)
Baldwin (male, brown)
Ritter (male, grey/brown)
Morgan (female, black)
Tioga (female, black)
Agnew (male, black)
My day- to day consists of the following:
6 am wake-up calls from Taquito crying in his crate to go potty outside. I take him out to do his business, and then I walk Momma dog outside on a short walk around the block.
8 am breakfast time! I take Taquito upstairs to his exercise pen, feed him breakfast while I make coffee, and then run downstairs to feed Momma dog!
After breakfast, I take Taquito outside again to potty.
9 am-10 am Taquito and Moo playtime. I allow them supervised play inside, and I spend quality time with Taquito, as he is still an 11-week-old puppy who needs socialization and boundaries.
10 am it’s Moo time…. I take little Moo for a walk
10:30-12 pm is Momma dog and puppy time when I sit in Momma dog’s room with my computer to get some work done. I play music, hold each puppy for five minutes, and switch out his or her dirty blankets and towels for fresh, clean ones.
12 pm lunchtime for Taquito and a long 3 mile walk through the forest with Momma dog
Everything is repeated over and over again until 9:30 pm when it is lights out for all the dogs. I work from 9:30-midnight and try to squeeze in work whenever the dogs are not screaming at me for something!
Basically, I barely sleep, don’t leave my house, rarely shower, and of course, never have any time for backcountry adventures. I have somehow been able to keep up with all my work projects and manage to keep my house incredibly clean! I am beyond chronically exhausted, but I would not trade this incredible opportunity for anything in the world!
Every Tuesday, I weigh each puppy to make sure they are gaining weight. Little Tioga dropped weight from week one to week two, so I supplemented her feeds with bottle feeds four times each day, and after four days, she gained an entire 6 ounces. I always have a bottle and puppy formula on hand, and I have become pretty good at bottle-feeding puppies!
Updates
Momma is still eating her puppies’ poop and licking pee and will do so until about weeks 3-4. Puppies’ eyes opened at week 2, and began walking shortly after. Their puppy teeth are starting to come in, which means the weaning process will start soon! Puppies and Momma currently are in a huge plastic swimming pool in my spare bedroom so Momma can enter and exit at her own will while the puppies are contained. It has been a journey, and every day, I learn something new about puppy raising! I can’t wait to see these gorgeous puppies go off to their forever home, and I am doing everything in my power to get them used to real-life everyday things… hair dryers, music, being held, vacuum cleaners, you name it! I will also try my hand at crate training them around seven weeks of age, so their transition into their fur-ever home is much easier (for them and their human). Momma and puppies will be up for adoption at eight weeks of age through Mono Country Animal Control at Whitmore Shelter!
Thank you for following along!
I am constantly posting videos, updates, and photos on my Instagram!
I included a GoFundMe link to help cover any funds I spend on Momma dog and puppies. Although Whitmore Shelter has been beyond amazing and supportive throughout this process, they are a county shelter, and their funding is limited. As a result, I have purchased quite a few things from my pocket to make Momma and the puppies more comfortable! Any raised money that does not go directly to Momma and the puppies will be donated directly to Whitmore Animal Shelter! All purchases I make will also be given to Whitmore after the puppies leave my home.
Link to Donate to Blackie and her Puppies
With gratitude,
Kristen, Blackie and the Eastern Sierra Puppy Pack